REVIEW: Riverdale – “The Outsiders”

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This week, after an absence of three, we returned to the mysterious and murderous town of Riverdale and to a rather lackluster episode. Somehow, I feel like Riverdale is losing momentum, or maybe just my attention, as we delve further into the bellowing secrets.

We left off with a pregnant and scared Polly at odds with both the Blossoms and the Coopers, each vindictive in their own ways. Veronica and Betty decide to throw a baby shower for Polly at the Lodge’s apartment, in an attempt to unite the families and bring about some joy or semblance of it. The main notable development would be for Alice Cooper, who displayed an immense amount of maternal love, strength, and dimension. As we are usually used to seeing Alice in a cruel light, this offered some layers to the character, especially when it was revealed that Hal had asked her too to get an abortion once upon a time. I am curious to see those relationships further explored as well as the reasons why Polly chose to go to the Blossoms instead. The whole family feud has a very Romeo and Juliet-esque vibe, seeming rather futile and petty and with Jason and Polly being our cherished and misguided lovers.

This episode Fred Andrews faced yet another obstacle in his life, pertaining to his failing company and Archie steps in to try and be a hero. Having positive and healthy father-son dynamic is a huge plus in this episode, given the less than stellar one with Jughead and his father. The end result of Archie’s meddling led to the South Side Serpents becoming the construction crew, which smells like trouble, wrapped in deceit.

The romantic relationships in this episode felt stagnated, but it is also wonderful to note that they do not overshadow the main plot. Betty and Jughead dealt with the “B” word, that being boyfriend and keeping secrets from one and other, but the couple maintained an aura of romantic bliss and continued to support each other. The only interesting development arose between Kevin and Joaquin but sadly ended up being the “I am just using he/she for information but totally might end up really falling for the person” trope. Veronica felt unbelievably flat in this episode, much like the storyline and I almost didn’t even notice that Val was in this episode, let alone that she and Archie were an actual thing.

Pop culture Quips and general observations:

• The Stepfords of Riverdale.
• “Hell is other people”
• The Hatfields and The McCoys.
• Veronica name dropping basically any celebrity.
• What do the Blossoms want with the drive-in land?
• I feel for Moose, truly.
• Archie is way too optimistic about his friend’s construction capabilities.
• I love Cheryl’s level of extra with the stroller
• IS POLLY REALLY HAVING TWINS?? Why hasn’t anyone taken this girl to an actual gynecologist yet?
• Archie and Jughead’s literal bromance is beautiful.
• The lack of Josie and the pussycats was deeply saddening.

Author: Faatimah Essack

Editor: Han Angus